This reminds me of a lot of franchises, especially when they hit a certain point of popularity and the resources used to create them increase. The first one or two entries make a lot of creative...
This reminds me of a lot of franchises, especially when they hit a certain point of popularity and the resources used to create them increase. The first one or two entries make a lot of creative decisions on creating a setting and what would make sense in that setting, and the following entries re-use elements from the first entries not because they make sense, but because those elements are well known symbols of the franchise and are recognized far and wide. Eventually the symbols come to define the property more than their original use, whether it makes sense or not.
Star Wars was what I was originally thinking about when trying to come up with an example. Something like the the jedis wear in the prequels for example. In ANH Obi Wan and Luke wear desert garb,...
Star Wars was what I was originally thinking about when trying to come up with an example. Something like the the jedis wear in the prequels for example. In ANH Obi Wan and Luke wear desert garb, because, you know, they live in the desert. By the time the prequels roll around, all jedis are wearing the same thing, they all dress like Obi Wan did in the desert, despite spending all of their time in an ivory tower on a planet covered in a metropolis.
Do they all wear desert robes because it fits who the jedi are? Or because that's what the prominent Jedi at the start of the series happened to wear?
I can't really comment on the older games; I've never played any of the ones before FO3, and the last time I played FO3 was many years ago. However, I've always said that Fallout 4 was a decent...
I can't really comment on the older games; I've never played any of the ones before FO3, and the last time I played FO3 was many years ago. However, I've always said that Fallout 4 was a decent game, but a bad Fallout game.
Part of the reason for that is what was talked about here. The whole game was basically just a beeline from quest marker to quest marker for me. That wasn't a conscious decision. With nothing truly new to find out in the ruins, I just instinctively ignored them. I suppose there's also something to be said about fast travel systems here. It's amazing how much of the map you explore and memorize when fast travel is disabled.
The biggest problem I had was with the overall storytelling. FO4 just felt like I was going through a story that Bethesda wanted to tell instead of making my own. The joke about FO4's dialogue options just being "yes," "yes," "sarcastic yes," and "maybe later" exists for a reason. Even if the end result was the same, the skill checks of the past games really made your character unique and their build matter to the story.
Going through a static story like this isn't inherently bad, but it's not what the past games did or what I wanted out of FO4. Still, even judging it as it is, I'm not happy with it.
FO4 Ending Spoilers
I wasn't a fan of how the Institute ended. You're basically just handed the position, and the game's even somewhat self aware about that. Then once everything is said and done it's implied that your character just picks up where Shaun left off.
The Railroad ending makes no sense to me. The overall idea is to help the synths, no? How is blowing up the Institute the best way to do that? The Institute contains all the knowledge on how synths are made. Presumably it contains the equipment to repair/heal them. Then, there are still synths inside that could be brought to the Railroad's side. Yes, the Institute is more powerful, but is blowing up all the knowledge, all the equipment, all those people the only way to get the upper hand?
There's basically nothing to the Minute Men ending.
Never bothered getting the Brotherhood ending. I'm one of those "I can't be mean to NPC's because it might hurt their feelings, and that makes me feel bad" people, so I can't bring myself to side against the synths. However, I imagine that this ending has its own issues.
Really all I can say at this point is that I look forward to the fan revival projects that are going on out there. Skywind is looking good; Oblivion is on my list of games to play, and it also has Skyblivion in the works; Fallout 4: New Vegas is yet another one being worked on. FO4:NV is the one I've been following the closest. I'm a fan of the team just because as they go they're releasing helper mods they've built, so even if they get a C&D the community gains a bunch of tools to work with.
If you have an hour hbomberguy has a really good and also really funny video comparing the original fallout games to fallout 3. It was compelling enough that I bought and played both 1&2 because of it
If you have an hour hbomberguy has a really good and also really funny video comparing the original fallout games to fallout 3. It was compelling enough that I bought and played both 1&2 because of it
FO4 Spoilers Destroying the Institute is what's best for the synths because otherwise the Institute is just going to continue hunting the freed ones down, cranking out new ones (with no regard for...
FO4 Spoilers
Destroying the Institute is what's best for the synths because otherwise the Institute is just going to continue hunting the freed ones down, cranking out new ones (with no regard for their pseudo-humanity), disappearing innocent people, etc. The Institute is largely responsible for the chaotic state of the Commonwealth because when the various factions actually tried to unify, the Institute used disguised synths to sabotage the effort. There's nothing about the Institute that anyone in the Railroad would really be supportive of. The loss of information is a bit of a bummer though.
That being said, I really wish there had been a pro-railroad ending for the Institute. Shaun dies, you take over, and you try to change how the Institute operates. Maybe there's a huge revolt and the Railroad helps you clear out the Institute without destroying all of the information within.
Still Spoilers I didn't mean to imply that they should be left alone. My question was if the solution with the best outcome was actually blowing up the Institute. The human population of the...
Still Spoilers
I didn't mean to imply that they should be left alone. My question was if the solution with the best outcome was actually blowing up the Institute. The human population of the Institute seemed pretty small or at most equal to the synths they employed, why not start a rebellion? The older models could be given a virus or otherwise reprogrammed, and the new ones could be convinced to change sides. Most in the Institute refused to even consider that synths could be sentient, so that type of organization might take them by complete surprise.
With how much potential for actual good the place held, blowing it up felt like it should have been the last option instead of the first and only.
I can't really get behind this rant. I understand the complaint that they didn't get the fallout game they wanted. But they're very dismissive of the value the 50s aesthetic and humor brings to...
I can't really get behind this rant. I understand the complaint that they didn't get the fallout game they wanted. But they're very dismissive of the value the 50s aesthetic and humor brings to the series. The fact is that a new group of creative people picked up the franchise and did something different with it. But the argument that they didn't 'understand' it is lame, they just made different choices. Having played Fallout 1, 2 and tactics I think Bethesda has done a good job translating the series. However, I do agree with the author that Fallout 4 has a ton of problems.
I don't get the gripe with the baseball guy in FO4. Diamond City is a baseball stadium, presumably full of equipment. The guy found a way to further weaponize bats and spiced up his sales pitch...
I don't get the gripe with the baseball guy in FO4. Diamond City is a baseball stadium, presumably full of equipment. The guy found a way to further weaponize bats and spiced up his sales pitch with a costume and his best guess at baseball lore.
That's fun to me...and that kind of humor and goofiness is what I loved about Fallout 4.
This reminds me of a lot of franchises, especially when they hit a certain point of popularity and the resources used to create them increase. The first one or two entries make a lot of creative decisions on creating a setting and what would make sense in that setting, and the following entries re-use elements from the first entries not because they make sense, but because those elements are well known symbols of the franchise and are recognized far and wide. Eventually the symbols come to define the property more than their original use, whether it makes sense or not.
Read: Star Wars
Star Wars was what I was originally thinking about when trying to come up with an example. Something like the the jedis wear in the prequels for example. In ANH Obi Wan and Luke wear desert garb, because, you know, they live in the desert. By the time the prequels roll around, all jedis are wearing the same thing, they all dress like Obi Wan did in the desert, despite spending all of their time in an ivory tower on a planet covered in a metropolis.
Do they all wear desert robes because it fits who the jedi are? Or because that's what the prominent Jedi at the start of the series happened to wear?
I can't really comment on the older games; I've never played any of the ones before FO3, and the last time I played FO3 was many years ago. However, I've always said that Fallout 4 was a decent game, but a bad Fallout game.
Part of the reason for that is what was talked about here. The whole game was basically just a beeline from quest marker to quest marker for me. That wasn't a conscious decision. With nothing truly new to find out in the ruins, I just instinctively ignored them. I suppose there's also something to be said about fast travel systems here. It's amazing how much of the map you explore and memorize when fast travel is disabled.
The biggest problem I had was with the overall storytelling. FO4 just felt like I was going through a story that Bethesda wanted to tell instead of making my own. The joke about FO4's dialogue options just being "yes," "yes," "sarcastic yes," and "maybe later" exists for a reason. Even if the end result was the same, the skill checks of the past games really made your character unique and their build matter to the story.
Going through a static story like this isn't inherently bad, but it's not what the past games did or what I wanted out of FO4. Still, even judging it as it is, I'm not happy with it.
FO4 Ending Spoilers
I wasn't a fan of how the Institute ended. You're basically just handed the position, and the game's even somewhat self aware about that. Then once everything is said and done it's implied that your character just picks up where Shaun left off.
The Railroad ending makes no sense to me. The overall idea is to help the synths, no? How is blowing up the Institute the best way to do that? The Institute contains all the knowledge on how synths are made. Presumably it contains the equipment to repair/heal them. Then, there are still synths inside that could be brought to the Railroad's side. Yes, the Institute is more powerful, but is blowing up all the knowledge, all the equipment, all those people the only way to get the upper hand?
There's basically nothing to the Minute Men ending.
Never bothered getting the Brotherhood ending. I'm one of those "I can't be mean to NPC's because it might hurt their feelings, and that makes me feel bad" people, so I can't bring myself to side against the synths. However, I imagine that this ending has its own issues.
Really all I can say at this point is that I look forward to the fan revival projects that are going on out there. Skywind is looking good; Oblivion is on my list of games to play, and it also has Skyblivion in the works; Fallout 4: New Vegas is yet another one being worked on. FO4:NV is the one I've been following the closest. I'm a fan of the team just because as they go they're releasing helper mods they've built, so even if they get a C&D the community gains a bunch of tools to work with.
If you have an hour hbomberguy has a really good and also really funny video comparing the original fallout games to fallout 3. It was compelling enough that I bought and played both 1&2 because of it
FO4 Spoilers
Destroying the Institute is what's best for the synths because otherwise the Institute is just going to continue hunting the freed ones down, cranking out new ones (with no regard for their pseudo-humanity), disappearing innocent people, etc. The Institute is largely responsible for the chaotic state of the Commonwealth because when the various factions actually tried to unify, the Institute used disguised synths to sabotage the effort. There's nothing about the Institute that anyone in the Railroad would really be supportive of. The loss of information is a bit of a bummer though.That being said, I really wish there had been a pro-railroad ending for the Institute. Shaun dies, you take over, and you try to change how the Institute operates. Maybe there's a huge revolt and the Railroad helps you clear out the Institute without destroying all of the information within.
Still Spoilers
I didn't mean to imply that they should be left alone. My question was if the solution with the best outcome was actually blowing up the Institute. The human population of the Institute seemed pretty small or at most equal to the synths they employed, why not start a rebellion? The older models could be given a virus or otherwise reprogrammed, and the new ones could be convinced to change sides. Most in the Institute refused to even consider that synths could be sentient, so that type of organization might take them by complete surprise.With how much potential for actual good the place held, blowing it up felt like it should have been the last option instead of the first and only.
I can't really get behind this rant. I understand the complaint that they didn't get the fallout game they wanted. But they're very dismissive of the value the 50s aesthetic and humor brings to the series. The fact is that a new group of creative people picked up the franchise and did something different with it. But the argument that they didn't 'understand' it is lame, they just made different choices. Having played Fallout 1, 2 and tactics I think Bethesda has done a good job translating the series. However, I do agree with the author that Fallout 4 has a ton of problems.
This puts into better words than I could ever muster exactly what's wrong with 3&4.
I don't get the gripe with the baseball guy in FO4. Diamond City is a baseball stadium, presumably full of equipment. The guy found a way to further weaponize bats and spiced up his sales pitch with a costume and his best guess at baseball lore.
That's fun to me...and that kind of humor and goofiness is what I loved about Fallout 4.